author
Robert L. Jefferson
d. 1914
Best known for vivid travel books and extraordinary long-distance cycling adventures, this late-Victorian writer turned firsthand journeys into lively, observant storytelling. His work carries readers from Moscow and Khiva to Siberia, mixing endurance, curiosity, and a reporter’s eye for detail.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Robert L. Jefferson, usually identified as Robert Louis Jefferson (1868–1914), was a British travel writer, cyclist, and motorist. Records about his books and later notices describe him as a noted wheelman and traveler, and his surviving works show a strong interest in difficult overland journeys and places that felt remote to many English-language readers of his time.
He wrote travel narratives including A Wheel to Moscow and Back, A New Ride to Khiva, and Roughing It in Siberia. These books suggest the kind of author he was: practical, adventurous, and drawn to firsthand observation rather than armchair description. His writing often links physical hardship with curiosity about local life, transport, and landscape.
Jefferson died in Melbourne, Australia, in 1914 while working as a travelling representative for the Wolseley Motor Company. Although he is not widely remembered today, his books still appeal to readers interested in early travel writing, endurance journeys, and the transition from the age of the bicycle traveler to the age of the motor car.